Bobblehead Memory Device

ABSTRACT

The present invention is a novelty bobblehead toy device modeled after a humanoid or character figure with a wobbling head and an internal USB electronic memory or storage device. The toy comprises a lower body having a flat base and an upper body with a wobbly head. The lower body further houses a USB memory stick. Both the upper and lower body portions are modeled to mimic fanciful or commonly known characters and personalities, and may include information imprinted on the flat base and at other suitable locations on the device.

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a Continuation In Part patent application and claims a prioritybenefit to U.S. Non-Provisional Application No. 11,801,368 entitled“Novelty Candy Device”, examined by Examiner Kien T. Nguyen in Art Unit3711, and filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on May9, 2007 by a common Inventor to this instant application, PaulLeonhardt; and further said instant application also claims a prioritybenefit to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/800,217, entitled“Bobblepop” and filed on May 11, 2006 by a common Inventor to thisinstant application, Paul Leonhardt. Both of these prior applicationsare hereby expressly incorporated into this instant application byreference.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

Not Applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL

Portions of the disclosure of this patent document contain material thatis subject to copyright protection. reproduction by anyone of the patentdocument or the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent andTrademark Office file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrightrights whatsoever.

REFERENCE TO APPENDIX

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to novelty toy devices, and moreparticularly, to a bobblehead toy device that is configured to representa humanoid or character figure and further includes an electronicmemory.

B. Prior Art

Bobblehead toys in their basic form are well known in the public domain.The conventional basic form of a bobblehead toy is a stable base havinga head attached to the base by a spring mechanism. Many designs ofbobblehead figures are possible representing well known persons,celebrities, sports figures, characters, animals or any otherrecognizable likeness. These designs aim at providing an entertaining oraesthetic appeal.

Although the above devices are related to novelty toys, the presentinvention provides a humanoid or character figure that mimics a famoussportsperson, actor, other well-known people, or animals and furtherincorporates an electronic memory for the storage, transport andconveyance of electronic data.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved noveltytoy device which includes a bobblehead humanoid or character figure andthat can also be used as an electronic memory or storage device.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an attractive toyfor protecting, enclosing and carrying an electronic memory device forpersonal use.

A further object is to provide an improved novelty toy device thatincludes a wobbling head.

Finally, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improvednovelty toy device that can be used as a collectible or souvenir. Theseand other objects of the present invention will become better understoodwith reference to the appended Summary, Description, and Claims.

The present invention, in brief summary, comprises an improved toydevice that resembles a humanoid or character figure. The deviceincludes a separate lower body portion and upper body portion. The lowerbody portion includes a base and further usually includes the memorydevice. The upper body portion includes a main body and a wobbly headthat mates with the lower body portion.

The head can be designed to mimic a variety of humanoid figures, orcharacters, including a famous sportsperson, a movie actor, or othercharacters such as cartoon characters, animals, superheroes, robots,seasonal characters and other personalities well known in differentcapacities. The torso and base can also be designed to suit or contrastwith the head portion of the device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front elevation illustration of the novelty toy device ofthe present invention showing the upper body portion and the lower bodyportion.

FIG. 2 is a front elevation exploded illustration of the novelty toydevice from FIG. 1 showing the upper body portion, the lower bodyportion, and the internal memory device.

FIG. 3 is a front elevation exploded illustration of the novelty toydevice from FIG. 2 showing a further expansion of the internal memorydevice from the base.

FIG. 4 is a front elevation exploded illustration of a second embodimentof the novelty toy device showing a split head, split torso, internalmemory device and other various internal components.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawings, preferred embodiments of the improvedbobblehead toy device are illustrated and are referred to generally byreference number 10.

Referring now to FIG. 1, the device comprises an upper body portion 12further comprising a torso 14 and head 16. In the mated configurationshown in FIG. 1, the upper body portion 12 is supported by a base 24.The base 24 has a flat bottom 26 enabling the device to stand by itselfon a flat surface.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a front elevation exploded illustration of thenovelty toy device 10 from FIG. 1 is shown illustrating the upper bodyportion 12, the lower body portion 20, and the internal memory device22. It can be seen that the internal memory device 22 is housed entirelyin a cavity 28 which is contained in the torso 14 of the upper bodyportion 12. The lower edge 30 of the torso 14 is designed tofrictionally mate with the base ring 32 thus securing the upper bodyportion 12 to the lower body portion 20.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a front elevation exploded illustration of thenovelty toy device 10 from FIG. 2 is shown illustrating a furtherexpansion of the internal memory 22 device from the base 24. The basering 32 further comprises a receptacle 34 which frictionally receivesthe electrical connector portion 36 of the USB memory stick 22.

It should be noted that the head 16 in FIGS. 1 through 3 is mounted tothe torso 14 by a spring mechanism (not shown) so that the head 16behaves in the well known ‘bobblehead’ manner. Thus any movement whichis imparted to the toy device 10 will cause the head 16 to ‘bobble’relative to the torso 14 for a period of time. This is an essentialfeature of the invention.

Further, the head 16, torso 14 and base 24 may be modeled in thelikeness of any famous character, likeness or real personality toenhance the attractiveness of the invention as a toy or collectible.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a front elevation exploded illustration of asecond embodiment of the novelty toy device 10 is shown illustrating asplit head 16A & 16B, a split torso 14A & 14B, an internal memory device22 and other various internal components as will be described. In thisembodiment the head 16 and torso 14 have been manufactured each in twosnap-fit mateable halves. This configuration allows for the quick andeasy assembly of the bobblehead mechanism as described below.

A snap-rivet assembly 40 comprises a top rivet portion 42 having a topdisk 44 and a top shaft 46, a spring 48, a bottom rivet portion 50having a lower shaft 52, middle shaft 54, a shoulder disk 56 and abottom disk 58.

The split head 16A & 16B will snap-fit together to capture part of thesnap rivet assembly 40. An upper head slot 60 formed by the mating ofthe two split heads 16A & 16B will receive and capture the top disk 44while the lower head slot 62 will receive and capture the shoulder disk56. The spring 48 will frictionally capture the top shaft 46 in the topend of the spring 48 and frictionally capture the middle shaft 54 in thelower spring 48 end. The shoulder disk 56 is received and captured bythe lower head slot 62 as the split heads 16A & 16B are assembled.Finally the bottom disk 58 is received and captured by the torso slot 64as the split torso halves 14A & 14B are assembled. Thus the snap rivetassembly 40 allows for a relative springing movement between the head 16and the torso 14. Thus the head 16 on the upper body portion 12 wobblesin a certain orientation, or randomly when slightly touched or movedrelative to the torso 14. Half-circle slot 66 on each half of the torso14A & 14B allows for the lower shaft 52 to pass from the interior of thetorso 14 up to the head 16.

The base 24 receives an adapter 70 which has two snap feet 72 on itsbottom for frictionally mating with a base slot 74. The adapter 70includes an adapter slot 76 for frictionally receiving the electricalconnector 36 of the memory stick 22.

It should be noted that the head 16, torso 14 and base 24 have beenillustrated in basic amorphous shapes and thus do not include the detailof specific characters or designs in these figures. However it iscontemplated that various specific and recognizable shapes, designs, anddimensions will be incorporated in the invention so as to distinguishand correlate a specific bobblehead character with a famous character,person or design.

The upper body portion 12 may be placed on the lower body portion 20during shipping and storage, or alternatively before or afterintegration of the memory device 22. It should be appreciated that theupper body portion 12 includes a cavity 28 that corresponds in size andshape to that of the memory device 22. Furthermore, the shape of theupper body portion 12 should correspond and complement the shape of thelower body portion 20 such that the upper body portion 12 sits securelyon the lower body portion 20 regardless of whether the memory device 22has been removed or not.

The upper body portion 12 can be suitably modeled to represent a famouspersonality such as an athlete, movie actor, politician, or the like.The lower body portion 20 is modeled accordingly to represent the lowerportion of the character. Any relevant name, writing, or design can beimprinted on the base 24. For example, logos, copy, a personality orteam name, etc., can be imprinted on the base 24. Caps (not shown) orother related accessories or insignia can also be included on the head16 when appropriate for the character. The cap can be imprinted with ateam logo or some related design. Accordingly, the novelty toy device isa desirable collectible item in its own right.

The memory device 22 may be a conventional Universal Serial Bus (USB)memory stick of any standard commercial memory size such as 250Megabytes up to or beyond 60 Gigabytes. The manufacturer may includepre-loaded data, text, pictures, games or software as desired to fit orattract a specific audience or market segment. Thus the data content iscompletely configurable by the manufacturer. However the memory device22 may also be configured such that the consumer may use it later tostore his own data. It is therefore envisioned that the memory devicemay be configured as read only or read and write depending on itsintended use. The consumer uses the USB memory device in a conventionalmanner by plugging it into a USB receptacle of a desktop, laptop orother device capable of interfacing with a USB memory stick.

Given that the memory device 22 is an assembled part into the bobbleheadtoy 10, it is further envisioned that other memory devices not yet incommercial use may be incorporated over time into the bobblehead toy 10as they become commercially available.

Having thus described the invention with particular reference to thepreferred forms thereof, it will be obvious that various changes andmodifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit andscope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

1. An improved novelty toy device comprising: an upper body portionhaving an internal cavity with an opening leading to said cavity, awobbly head attached to said upper body; a lower body portion having amemory device attached at a first end, and a base formed at a second endof said lower body portion; said memory device configured to be slidablyreceived into said cavity through said opening when said lower body ismated with said upper body; wherein said upper body portion isconfigured to alternatively cover and expose said memory portion, andfurther wherein said upper body portion is recognizably modeled after areal person or identifiable character.
 2. The improved novelty toydevice of claim 1, wherein said lower body portion further includes aflat base.
 3. The improved novelty toy device of claim 1, including aprojection extending from said lower body portion for attaching saidmemory device.
 4. The improved novelty toy device of claim 1, whereinsaid cavity corresponds in size and shape to the size and shape of saidmemory device.
 5. The improved novelty toy device of claim 1 furthercomprising a neck having a proximal end attached to said upper bodyportion, and a distal end of said neck for flexibly attaching saidwobbly head.
 6. The improved novelty toy device of claim 5 furthercomprising a spring having a proximal end attached to said distal neckend, and a distal spring end for attaching said wobbly head.
 7. Theimproved novelty toy device of claim 6 wherein any relative movementbetween said wobbly head and said upper body portion imparts a randompattern of relative movement between said wobbly head and said upperbody portion.
 8. The improved novelty toy device of claim 6 wherein anyrelative movement between said wobbly head and said upper body portionimparts a predetermined pattern of relative movement between said wobblyhead and said upper body portion.
 9. The improved novelty toy device ofclaim 1 wherein said recognizable real person or identifiable characterbecomes a collectors item.
 10. The improved novelty toy device of claim2 wherein said base further comprises a visible well known name,trademark or logo.
 11. The improved novelty toy device of claim 2wherein said base further comprises a handle.
 12. The improved noveltytoy device of claim 1 wherein said wobbly head further comprises headaccessories.
 13. The improved novelty toy device of claim 12 whereinsaid head accessories include sunglasses, hats, helmets, baseball hats,or jewelry.
 14. The improved novelty toy device of claim 1 wherein saidmemory device is attached to said lower body portion by an adhesive. 15.The improved novelty toy device of claim 1 wherein said opening iscircumscribed by an upper mating surface and said lower body upper endis circumscribed by a lower mating surface.
 16. The improved novelty toydevice of claim 15 wherein said upper body and said lower body aresecurely coupled when said upper mating surface engages said lowermating surface.
 17. The improved novelty toy device of claim 1 whereinsaid recognizable real person or identifiable character is one of amovie personality, sports figure, politician, scientist, athlete,television, radio or internet personality.
 18. The improved novelty toydevice of claim 1 wherein said recognizable real person or identifiablecharacter is an infamous personality.
 19. An improved novelty toy devicecomprising: an upper body portion having an internal cavity with anopening leading to said cavity, a lower body portion having a memorydevice attached at a first end, and a base formed at a second end ofsaid lower body portion; said memory device configured to be slidablyreceived into said cavity through said opening when said lower body ismated with said upper body; wherein said upper body portion isconfigured to alternatively cover and expose said memory portion, andfurther wherein said upper body portion and said lower body portion aremodeled after a real celebrity.
 20. An improved novelty toy devicecomprising: an upper body portion having an internal cavity with anopening leading to said cavity, a lower body portion having a memorydevice attached at a first end, and a base formed at a second end ofsaid lower body portion; said memory device configured to be slidablyreceived into said cavity through said opening when said lower body ismated with said upper body; wherein said upper body portion isconfigured to alternatively cover and expose said memory portion, andfurther wherein said upper body portion and said lower body portion aremodeled after an identifiable person or character.